To Be A Professional
by TheFaithless
Summary: Roman has always been a professional. But tonight, he begins to question whether this latest job is really for him. Roman x Neo. One-shot.


**Thought of and wrote this while in the hospital and out of my mind on painkillers. Good (and painful) times. I'd also like to thank TheRagingGamer for his input and editing. Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Neo looked down at Roman Torchwick with displeasure, her eyes blinking to brown and narrowing dangerously in the dim candlelight. Her heavy breathing and panting quickly gave way to a malicious glare that was directed at Roman, the malice clear in her eyes. The silent woman had a very expressive face that was perfectly capable of communicating her thoughts without vocalizing them, and Roman very clearly understood the intricacies of Neo's facial ticks after spending so much time around her.<p>

_Keep moving._

The 'or else' that accompanied the command went... well, unspoken, for lack of a better word.

"I _am_ doing all the work here." Roman complained between heavy breaths. "You could always help out a bit." Despite his complaints, Roman renewed his efforts and thrust his hips upwards into Neo. He might complain about the effort, but he knew better than to test his petite companion's patience.

His efforts were rewarded as his movements drew forth a pleasured gasp from Neo, who was straddling his hips. Her thighs tightened around him, responding eagerly to the stimulation Roman provided. Neo's eyes fluttered shut as she basked in the sensation of Roman moving powerfully inside her, her mouth hanging open in wide smile. In and out, a strong and steady pace. Despite his exhaustion, Roman couldn't help but feel more than a little relief as one of her eyes shifted to a brilliant pink hue, which he interpreted as a sign that he was no longer under threat of suffering an injury from Neo at the moment.

Roman's renewed vigor quickly brought Neo back to the edge, where she teetered before one last thrust pushed her over into ecstasy. Her gasp was drawn out and audible as her whole body shuddered, her abdominal muscles flexing and unflexing as she let her climax freely roll through her. Roman continued moving, doing his best to prolong Neo's pleasure as her muscles twitched and contracted around him. This pushed Neo to new heights, her hands clawing and digging into Roman's shoulders, leaving bloody lines behind as her nails cut into him. And slowly, Neo descended from the heights of her pleasure and eased back down. She allowed herself to collapse down onto Roman, holding her cheek against the left side of his chest as she listened to his rapid heartbeat.

A few minutes later, as Roman's heartbeat finally calmed, Neo sat up straight again, a few streaks of his blood decorating the side of her face. Still straddling Roman, she opened her eyes and widened her mouth into a satisfied grin that Roman found frighteningly predatory. Like a cat savoring a tasty bird. As worried as he was, he still maintained the presence of mind to notice that both of Neo's eyes were now the same shining pink, reminding him of glittering pink sapphires. Roman's eyes widened in surprise. He had never seen both of Neo's eyes turn pink before.

Roman had no time to ponder this new color change as Neo leaned over his face and kissed him, letting her tongue trace his lips. As soon as Roman moved to reciprocate though, Neo backed off and smirked at Roman, taking pleasure in his frustration. After all, he was still hard inside of her and had not achieved release as she had. She thought about leaving him as he was, but after some contemplation she decided otherwise.

Neo reached down and gently patted Roman on the head, a cheeky grin on her face.

_Good boy._

Even without words, Roman could swear he could hear her condescending attitude in the gesture alone. But it seemed Neo had deemed his performance tonight deserving of a reward and began moving on her own, slowly grinding her hips back and forth on his. Despite his frustration, Neo's skillful technique very quickly had Roman ready to go again, so he started to move once more with Neo.

Neo placed a hand on Roman's chest though, holding him in place, her pink eyes half closed as she shook her head.

_You earned a treat. Stay still and relax._

As much as Roman hated being treated as if he was some pet or toy, which was dependent on Neo's mood, he could hardly complain at the moment. Neo reached down and gently grabbed both of Roman's hands in each of hers, lifting his right hand and placing it over her bare left breast as she moved his left hand to her right hip, silently permitting Roman to hold and squeeze her as he pleased. Roman took full advantage of the opportunity, letting his hands explore while Neo continued to rock her hips forwards and backwards. She had started off slow, but gradually and steadily increased the pace of her hips, carefully keeping Roman where she wanted him to ensure he couldn't take control away from her.

It didn't take long for the skillful movements Neo was utilizing to bring Roman to a head, abs tensing as he released himself into her, which in turn sent pleasant shivers through Neo's own body. With a grunt and a rattling breath, Roman's arms fell back to his side while Neo let her head drop back, her eyes closed as she luxuriated in the feeling of the warmth inside her.

"You've…" Roman gasped between breaths, "never done that before." Rare were the times when Neo deigned to allow Roman to finish his side of things, but never before had she gone out of her way to pleasure and finish him as she had just now. And if Roman was going to be honest with himself, he had no idea Neo was as talented as she had just demonstrated.

Neo just shrugged, the noncommittal, sly grin on her face offering no concrete answers.

_So what?_

If Roman had to describe Neo, the first thing that would come to mind was that she was a pleasure seeker above all else, a devout follower of her own special brand of hedonism. Pleasure was all she was interested in- the pleasure of combat, the pleasure of delicious food, the pleasure of fine clothes, the pleasure of money, the pleasure of sexual gratification. Whatever she desired at that moment in her life. Which, unfortunately for Roman, meant she also had a wicked sadistic streak at times. A fact emphasized by the still bleeding scratches on his shoulders, chest, and back. At least Neo hadn't been in the mood to use her stiletto blade this time. That had been less pleasant than she promised it would be.

While Roman lay under Neo in confusion, she lifted her leg up and dismounted him. "Ow- hey!" Roman protested. Neo had made no effort to gently ease him out of her. "Watch the valuables, will you?"

Neo smiled and rolled her eyes as she walked away from the bed, her hips swaying seductively with each step.

_Deal with it._

Roman wondered if her ability to seduce with every action was something she was born with, or something she had nurtured and practiced to better achieve the pleasures she so desired. Either way, she was very, very good at what she did. She had to be, to keep Roman coming back for more even after she tortured him.

Roman found Neo to be immensely fascinating, but also eternally frustrating. On one hand, she was the perfect criminal. She was incredibly skilled in combat, possessed a brilliant mind, followed orders well, and best of all, had little to no morals. On the other hand, her ability to follow orders only extended as far as what she was explicitly hired to do and not one step further, which led to situations such as the one Roman found himself in soon after they began working together.

He had thought himself smooth and charming when he had first brought Neo to his bed soon after hiring her. Roman believed that this young woman, dressed in fine clothing of almost childish colors, was the picture of innocence and would be an easy conquest. An easy notch on his belt.

Roman had never in his life been more mistaken.

The moment that Roman and Neo were first alone in his room, Neo's quaint, quiet, and charming demeanor immediately fell away and she turned into a powerful, commanding, not to mention menacing, woman. A woman who knew what she liked and had no problem doing whatever it took to get it. Neo was a monster. A beautiful monster to be sure, but a monster nonetheless. And yet, Roman kept coming back for more. He wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to or because Neo wouldn't let him go, but he found himself drawn to her in a way he couldn't quite place.

Roman propped himself up some pillows so he could watch the entrancing sway of Neo's hips as she strode away from him into the nearby kitchen. He told himself he was staying in bed because there was no reason to get up, but really, he was just exhausted and sore. With a bit of pain to top it all off. "Well? Why'd you do it?" He called out.

Neo sashayed back into the room, her natural walk its very own form of seduction as the candles cast shadows and splashes of light across her body that only served to accentuate her natural beauty. As Roman met her eyes, both of which were still shining a brilliant pink, she just smiled and tilted her head to the side while she lowered herself down into an extravagant, not to mention expensive, soft armchair.

_Why not?_

"Doesn't seem like you." Roman answered. He glanced down at what she brought back with her from the kitchen- a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar. "And did you stock my refrigerator up with your ice cream again?"

A simple nod was all Neo bothered to do to answer, joyously taking a large bite out of her treat. It seemed that the ice cream was more interesting to Neo than Roman was now, ignoring him in favor of licking and biting her frozen treat. Roman had no choice but to either wait patiently for her to finish, or get up and go about his own business. With no business that needed to be taken care of, he elected to just wait in the bed.

Neo didn't make Roman wait long. She had devoured her treat quickly and with a passion. She then stood up while turning her head quizzically to Roman, asking her question without words.

_Something on your mind?_

"You just threw me for a loop tonight, is all." Roman explained. "You've never been quite so… generous, shall we say? Usually you're quite selfish." Roman had no fear the Neo would react harshly to his comment- her appetite had been sated, and she would not indulge herself until next time they came together.

Neo blinked, her left eye changing from pink to brown as she looked Roman's bare body up and down before teasingly looking down at her own bare body.

_You didn't seem to mind at the time._

"Well, that's that and this is this." Roman said in exasperation.

Neo walked over to Roman, unashamed of her nakedness as Roman's gaze traveled up and down her body. She trailed a hand up Roman's leg, then his side, then his chest, then his cheek, before giving him a soft pat on the top of his head, the same way one would a pet. The smirk found it's way onto her face as her eyes traded colors.

_Maybe you're growing on me._

Neo just smiled as her shoulders lightly bounced in silent laughter, turning away from Roman and walking towards the bathroom. Roman was agitated now, his mind a mess of confusion. 'What has Neo done to me?' he wondered.

"Wait." Roman leapt out of bed and caught Neo's wrist. Neo glanced down at Roman's hand before turning her gaze back up to his eyes, one eyebrow raised in warning. Roman understood the message and drew his hand back as if he had just stuck it into an open flame. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "What is this thing that we have? You and I?"

Neo didn't quite understand the question, and the puzzled expression on her face conveyed the emotion clearly.

"Is this just, something we do once in a while? Stress relief? Or is there more to this?" Roman asked. "Because let me get this straight: I am a _professional_." He said, building up momentum. "And our work together, with those animals in the White Fang, is strictly business. But what we do here, in my apartment, where does that stand? Cause when it comes to following orders on the job, you do a good job-"

Neo raised an eyebrow.

"Ahem- _great_ job," he corrected, to which Neo nodded in satisfaction, "but this? It's outside what I know. See, I'm a career criminal. I rob people. Sometimes I even get paid by people to rob other people. I do what I do, and I do it well. I make my money and move on." He sighed, clearly building up to something as Neo watched with hints of amusement. "I'm not supposed to be a terrorist. I don't have an ideal or a cause to fight for. Do you know why?"

Neo had no answer but to stand and wait quietly, waiting for Roman to make his point.

"Because that's too much baggage weighing a man down, keeping a respectable man like myself from doing good work as a gentleman thief. But my role in this was simple: Steal things." He gestured, holding his arms out to his side as if presenting something to an audience. "Steal dust. Steal weapons. Steal whatever I was told to steal, and make sure the people working under me didn't screw up. Which is why it worked. I didn't need to be some revolutionary to lead some animals to a better place. I just needed to be a thief." He finally slowed down to catch his breath and look down into Neo's eyes.

"But you," he started, "went and threw a wrench into all that. I contacted you and hired you based on the recommendations of some business contacts. Everyone lauded your skill, your professionalism. You were the perfect person to hire. And now, a few months later, we even manage to communicate just fine despite your inability to speak." Then Roman gestured at the bed. "On top of that, we're doing this. So you see my problem here, right? This is clearly not a professional relationship we have now."

Neo had a smug grin on her face as she made a couple gestures, eyeing Roman with amusement.

_I do believe you were the one who tried to seduce me first._

"I thought so, but you clearly had a different idea in mind than what I did." Roman groaned. "I thought it would be a one time thing. Which is why this needs to be settled now. What are we?"

Neo lifted one hand in front of her, gently running it over the bloody claw marks that ran along his chest, shoulders, and back as she walked a slow circle around Roman, who winced at the sensitivity of the wounds. Once she completed the circle back to where she began, she brought the hand painted with Roman's blood back in front of her face and curled her finger to make the universal 'come here' motion.

Roman was confused, but did as Neo requested and leaned down to bring his head closer to Neo's. She reached up, softly trailing her hand up his right cheek with a sweet smile on her face, leaving a bloody smear on his cheek as she her hand continued up past his eyes and to his forehead. Then her hand tenderly brushed Roman's long hair out of his eyes, using the blood to slick his hair back. Her hand lingered on the back of his head for a moment before she grasped a handful of hair, surprising Roman. He tried to instinctively pull back, but Neo's grip was firm and held him down at her height as her eyes blinked to brown.

She tilted his head so she could look straight into his eyes, so there was no missing what she wanted to convey.

_What are we?_

Her eyes were were mischievous, but not cruel. Unyielding, yet soft. But the message was clear.

_You_ _**belong**_ _to me._

When Neo was sure that Roman got the message, she released her hold on his hair and allowed him to stand up straight again. What had he seen in Neo's eyes just then? She made her point readily enough, but Roman was sure he saw something else in there too. "I'm not exactly someone who allows himself to be 'owned', dear Neo." He said, looking back down at her now that he had retreated a step for safety. "And I'm the one paying you."

Neo's shoulders bounced again as she laughed silently, hard enough that Roman could actually hear the air being forced from her lungs from the exertion, if only just barely. Once her little fit of laughter abated, Neo shook her head at Roman and made a few gestures, smirking that unique way he was certain to understand. Her eyes were different colors again, one pink and one brown.

_Money has nothing to do with this. You belong to me because I want you to._

Roman blinked, the disbelief falling over his face like a mask.

But Neo continued with her gestures, incorporating some sign language when simple gestures weren't enough to sufficiently get the point across.

_But I must admit, I find you…entertaining._

"Only entertaining? You wound me, Neo." Roman replied sardonically, holding a hand over his bleeding chest and deliberately ignoring the irony of the statement.

Neo grinned.

_How about 'fascinating,' then?_

"Not much better, but I'll take it." Roman grumbled.

Neo just contented herself with wiping the blood left on her hand on Roman's bare stomach before continuing on to the open bathroom and washing her hands. She looked at the spacious shower to the right of her, then at the nearly over-sized bath beyond that as she contemplated which one sounded more appealing at the moment.

"Neo…" Roman asked, still standing in place beside the bed.

Neo turned around to face the Roman, her multicolored hair rippling and falling down over her shoulder.

_Hm?_

"What do think about Cinder? Her work with the White Fang?" Roman asked, his usual sarcastic mask completely gone and replaced by a seriousness that surprised Neo.

Neo shrugged one shoulder as she tilted her head to one side, rubbing her first two fingers against her thumb.

_No opinion. Just like the money._

Roman laughed at her answer. "A woman after my own heart." Neo smiled at the comment. Then he was serious again. He watched in silence as Neo turned back to the mirror above the sink, picking up a hair brush from the counter beside her and brushing the tangles out of her hair. "What about this plan with the train next week?" Roman asked. That plan had been a point of contention for some of the members in their group- wanting to fight against the humans was different than letting the Grimm into Vale. And in truth, Roman wasn't sure if he was a hundred percent on board with that plan either.

Neo raised an eyebrow.

_No opinion. I'm doing what I'm being paid for._

Roman smiled. "A truly professional answer, my dear."

Neo smiled and bowed at the waist, her arms out to her side. The bow would've been more elegant and impressive had she been wearing her clothes and holding her parasol, but the gesture was still appreciated.

_Focus on the job, Roman._

"No worries in that department, sweetheart." Roman smirked. "But… I don't think I want to sign back on for any other work with this particular group after this train business." His face dropped. "That's the professional way to do this, right?"

Neo was curious. She had never seen Roman like this before. He was always the picture of confidence, the very definition of a suave, gentleman thief with just enough attitude to catch Neo's interest. This unknown side of Roman was new to her, exciting. Something she didn't have experience with. Something she could explore further.

_Why worry about your image if what you want is to leave?_

"I don't quite have your philosophy and outlook, my petite friend. And I don't have the skill that you do to back it up if I did." Roman sighed.

Neo shrugged, her face a picture of nonchalance. She saw Roman looking at her in the bathroom mirror, watching her with a contemplative look on his face. Neo smiled at him and then swayed her bottom back and forth.

_Enjoying the view?_

Roman smirked. "In a way." He paused, and it looked to Neo that he was torn between whether or not to ask her something that he had on his mind. Rather than antagonize Roman into asking as she normally would've done, Neo politely waited as she played with her hair, experimenting with different styles.

"If I left after this next job…" Neo stopped playing with her hair to turn around and look at Roman, "would you come with me?"

Neo blinked, both her eyes turning white. This was new, and unexpected. Too new. Neo wasn't sure how to react. A life of self indulgence did not prepare one for heavier proposals such as this. Why ask her? Or more importantly, why would she go with him? Neo just stared at him while her eyes, now brown, narrowed.

"Uh, Neo?" Roman asked, unnerved by the lack of a response.

Neo brought a hand up and signaled for Roman to stop talking, then made a quick gesture.

_Shut up. I'm thinking._

Why go with Roman? It was true that she found him both entertaining and fascinating, as she had informed him earlier. And though she had no doubt that Cinder or the White Fang would continue to pay her for her exemplary services if she stayed, Roman was the one currently paying her. But then again, Neo had enough money that whether or not she was even paid for this job made almost no difference to her. She then had to admit that one of the reasons she had enjoyed this job so much was because she found a great deal of pleasure dealing with Roman, whether it was on the job or in the privacy of the bedroom. He had indulged her… unconventional... tastes where others would have fled. He provided amusing conversation. He was, as he had put it, a professional. And he could always be counted on to have something tricky and interesting up his sleeve should any need for it arise.

Neo made a quick gesture as she furrowed her brow.

_Shall we be partners, then?_

"Partners?" Roman asked. "I don't see why not. I'd… rather have you around than not. And a partnership would be a perfectly acceptable arrangement."

Neo smiled, her eyes suddenly returning to their brilliant pink hue they had been earlier.

_Partners, then._

Neo held out her hand, which Roman took. With a single firm shake, their agreement was set.

Now, Neo glanced at the bath before looking back at Roman with bedroom eyes.

_Care to join me for a bath?_

"It would be my pleasure." Roman answered as he moved to enter the bathroom.

Neo put a hand on his chest, stopping him in place before gesturing at his body.

_Shower first. No blood in my bath._

"You little…" Roman complained. "You did this to me."

Neo's single raised eyebrow spoke volumes about how little she cared.

"Fine. But once we're partners, I'm in charge." Roman said.

Neo giggled silently. "You wish." She said, in a soft, beautiful voice that had an accent Roman couldn't quite place. Then she spun on one foot to go get the bath prepped.

Roman just stared at her, shocked into absolute stillness.

"Hold on, you can talk?!"

Neo just smiled.


End file.
